It's raining. Again. As if we're in the middle of Noah's flood. It's cooler too, not feeling the heat here and it's almost mid-June. Two beautiful days on the weekend, some time on the bike and now Monday with rain. If you didn't finish your lawn mowing this weekend, it's time to seriously consider adding pontoons to your mower. I am.
I live in the country. I grew up on a farm. Rain is essential for crop nourishment, for human existence, for life.
Too much water causes flooding which can wash away crops, water-log ones flesh, drown the atmosphere with humidity.
Songs from many genres glorify and bemoan rain. From the country singer Ronnie Milsap's "Smoky Mountain Rain" to pop artist Madonna's "Rain" to rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival's (CCR's) "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" to the Christian hymn "There Shall be Showers of Blessing" rain is clearly an important topic to humankind! There are so many songs referring to 'rain' that I'm not even attempting to track and count them all -- but believe that every musical class has at least one if not many!
In the winter in my neck of the woods, people complain about the snow, ice, and cold. In the summer, they complain about heat and humidity. Oh, and in the spring, summer, and fall, they complain about: rain. They complain if it rains on a parade, a picnic, a weekend off, when leaving work, if it floods. They complain if it doesn't rain and their lawns start to turn brown, if they have to water their gardens themselves, if it's too hot and rain might cool off the atmosphere. There seems to be no happy medium.
Are these neighbors, these acquaintances, these strangers happy with Anything? Sometimes I wonder.
Our society has grown into a complaining, whiny, offended, blubbery mass of homo sapiens. Note, I'm selecting an ethnicity, a religious group, a political party, a sexual preference, a gender breakdown, or anything else; I'm calling it as I see it. Humankind wants to gripe. Rain is a good excuse to gripe. I'd wager a bet (at least a nickel because I'm cheap) that Someone is actually Offended by rain. Why not? We're all offended by something, and seemingly more and more, at least in my country of origin.....and I'm seeing trends of it globally. Again, I'm an equal opportunity griper here: If you're human, self-identify as human, or even have human DNA, I'm including you in the bucket - which, by the way, should be collecting rainwater but is illegal in some states and localities. Wait til they figure out how to tax you on the rainfall at your residence, be it apartment or ranch! Shhhh.....don't give Big Brother ideas, right?
Well, it's raining. Like it or not, it's raining. Here, it's raining. Somewhere else on this planet of ours, someone is dying of thirst, someone is drowning in floodwaters. And we'll all complain, cry, stomp our feet, and even ask that whoever's doing the rain dance to please cease and desist.
Could we complain about things we can change, please? You know, try complaining about not having better land management and superfluous land management that causes arid land. Then (here's a novel idea), try fixing our modern era screw-ups wherein we diverted too much water away from certain plots of land, wherein we built cities in and below flood plains. Let's work as a team, humankind, and fix things.
I'm not a fan of the climate change talk, especially when you consider how many different 'experts' have predicted the end of the world due to climate change with deadlines that have come and gone several times over. Now, don't get your panties in a bunch! I believe in science every bit as much as I believe in God, heaven, and hell. I believe one compliments the other -- really not hard to marry them if you are a person of faith. I do believe, science is like medicine -- the practice thereof. Considering that none of us lived during Adam and Eve's era to witness dinosaurs as part of the animals that God created AND considering that God is infinite, who's to say how long one biblical day at creation took in man's puny view of space and time? It all works together if you let it.
I believe the earth 'breathes' if you will. It has experienced ice age(s), flood(s), extinctions of global proportions. Our home planet will experience those phenomena again in it's life cycle until it dies. The earth evolves as does our sun. Our sun is a star (scientific facts in case you missed grade-school science classes) and our sun, as said star, will eventually burn out. Long before that happens (and No, I'm not predicting a date), it will create more heat and all the planets in our solar system will change in temperature. There will be no changing that, folks. The earth will heat up, water evaporate, and life as we know it will expire under the extreme conditions. Fixing a hole in ozone won't stop it. Not using plastics won't stop it. Going organic or using all chemical preservatives won't stop it. Producing oil or using solar power won't stop it. Nothing in humankind's knowledge base will stop the sun from it's life cycle as a star that will burnout/flame-out one day. It happens to other stars all the time -- our scientists who focus on the stars, the galaxies, the universe have witnessed other stars do the very same thing through their telescopes.
Our sun will die and so will planet earth, just like humans do. Some of us go quietly, some of us go out in a blaze of glory, but the physical result is the same -- the body, the living organism dies. The difference is that we are human, and if we believe in God, then we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have souls and souls do not die. Various religions have differing views on how a human can reach heaven, nirvana, a place of peace and I'm not going down that road in this entry. I know where my faith is (in case you missed it, I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and that when I die He will take my soul to heaven with God and those who have gone before me in faith) so I'm not in a panic over dying today or in 50 years. I will die when it is my time and not a minute before, by some means wherein my life-sustaining organs stop functioning for the physical body.
So, I bet you're wondering how did a little essay on rain morph to a discussion on the death of stars and humans?
It's simple enough, so I'll try to explain it. We're all going to die, humans, the stars, planets, none of us are immortal. Why then do we complain about the rain we have today, the snow we'll have in winter, the very things that go in a normal cycle of rotation? Why? They are beyond our control -- and human kind needs not to control everything in its domain.
Why do humans find the need to complain about most everything? Why? We're all in this together on this planet, why don't we rejoice in our existence and marvel at all that is around us, wonderfully created (by God if you believe, by happenstance if you don't). We've got a pretty good gig going on here, folks: roommates, planet-mates, the ability to reproduce, gorgeous colors of humanity, beautiful shades of animals and plants, earth that provides us gravity and a place on which to stand, water with which to nourish and travel. We are so very blessed as humans, creatures sailing along in our galaxy and what do we do? We complain. About rain. Seriously, people?
We complain about our neighbors, how we govern ourselves, what we eat, the weather, where we live, where others live, our jobs, our lack of jobs, our leaders, our followers, our friends (yes, even our friends), our clothes, our religions. In short, we complain about everything. Where does it end? When do we stop?
Now I'm no tree-hugger, but I grew up on a farm and love all that nature has to offer. I enjoy activities in our metro areas, but long for that grass under my feet rather than cement sidewalks. I always say I'm too conservative for my liberal friends and too liberal for my conservative friends. Through all that, I love humanity. When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you ever think about the fascinating DNA that causes you to be who you are, how you function, and how you form thoughts? Your neighbors have DNA too and it came from somewhere! Somehow, we're all humans and distantly related. So are animals and plants; DNA is a fascinating conglomeration of blueprints for living things.
Humans need to function as a team, putting our DNA to good use rather than just wasting it on complaints about things like rain. I firmly believe that if (not when) humans figure out how to work as team members for the betterment of all, then hopefully, maybe, just maybe, we'll savor the things we cannot change like rain, life, death, neighbors, and then..............in that good mood, if we want humanity and our living creatures not to die off, we'll find solutions, reaching for the stars that are younger with in habitable planets. We must look to each other, having faith in the good, not deterred by storms (rain or sunspots) if we want to prevent ourselves from killing off everything on this planet prematurely.
If we say we are tolerant, then we Must Be Tolerant. That doesn't mean we get to pick and choose what we tolerate. It's all or nothing. If you can't tolerate your neighbor because his/her skin color, political viewpoint, or sexual orientation differs from yours, then you can't claim be a tolerant person. It just doesn't work that way. If you don't comprehend that, then you need to spend some time reading your Merriam-Webster dictionary from high school.
If we know we cannot tolerate certain behaviors, views, then we need to work with our fellow humans to find an ethical compromise wherein we respect that we are each unique, but knowing that we do not have to become homogeneous. (I thank God every day that we are not cloned and identical!) Variety is the spice of life! If we all thought alike, performed the same job, etc. we'd either be running around naked with no food, but great houses, or we'd be eating well but with no houses....I hope you get the idea. We need to value our differences and learn to utilize them for the good of all.
No, I'm NOT promoting any political, socio-economic system in this entry today. I'm not a fan of some of those 'equal systems' because too many times some still end up more equal than others and more people end up starving than they do under a system with competition. I believe with healthy competition, hard work, human ingenuity, we, as the human collective, can still have a system wherein we feel productive both for ourselves and enjoy helping others without force.
Forcing someone to love us has never worked, why would forcing a political viewpoint work any better? It wouldn't. We need to reach across the aisle in our governments, reach out from our charitable organizations, across the fence to our neighbors, and work together. We won't save the sun, we won't save the planet, BUT, we will enjoy our lives much better than it seems we do now. Instead of pointing fingers, finding fault, and complaining about everything under the sun (including the rain), it's time that we put our heads and hearts together, lending umbrellas, raincoats, sump pumps, and opening doors.
Sure, it's still raining today, probably going to rain all night. I have a choice: complain about everything and everyone (and the weather) OR make the best of my indoor time, find projects that only can be accomplished when it's raining, and maybe, just maybe dance in the rain. Who's ready to dance with me?
I live in the country. I grew up on a farm. Rain is essential for crop nourishment, for human existence, for life.
Too much water causes flooding which can wash away crops, water-log ones flesh, drown the atmosphere with humidity.
Songs from many genres glorify and bemoan rain. From the country singer Ronnie Milsap's "Smoky Mountain Rain" to pop artist Madonna's "Rain" to rock group Creedence Clearwater Revival's (CCR's) "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" to the Christian hymn "There Shall be Showers of Blessing" rain is clearly an important topic to humankind! There are so many songs referring to 'rain' that I'm not even attempting to track and count them all -- but believe that every musical class has at least one if not many!
In the winter in my neck of the woods, people complain about the snow, ice, and cold. In the summer, they complain about heat and humidity. Oh, and in the spring, summer, and fall, they complain about: rain. They complain if it rains on a parade, a picnic, a weekend off, when leaving work, if it floods. They complain if it doesn't rain and their lawns start to turn brown, if they have to water their gardens themselves, if it's too hot and rain might cool off the atmosphere. There seems to be no happy medium.
Are these neighbors, these acquaintances, these strangers happy with Anything? Sometimes I wonder.
Our society has grown into a complaining, whiny, offended, blubbery mass of homo sapiens. Note, I'm selecting an ethnicity, a religious group, a political party, a sexual preference, a gender breakdown, or anything else; I'm calling it as I see it. Humankind wants to gripe. Rain is a good excuse to gripe. I'd wager a bet (at least a nickel because I'm cheap) that Someone is actually Offended by rain. Why not? We're all offended by something, and seemingly more and more, at least in my country of origin.....and I'm seeing trends of it globally. Again, I'm an equal opportunity griper here: If you're human, self-identify as human, or even have human DNA, I'm including you in the bucket - which, by the way, should be collecting rainwater but is illegal in some states and localities. Wait til they figure out how to tax you on the rainfall at your residence, be it apartment or ranch! Shhhh.....don't give Big Brother ideas, right?
Well, it's raining. Like it or not, it's raining. Here, it's raining. Somewhere else on this planet of ours, someone is dying of thirst, someone is drowning in floodwaters. And we'll all complain, cry, stomp our feet, and even ask that whoever's doing the rain dance to please cease and desist.
Could we complain about things we can change, please? You know, try complaining about not having better land management and superfluous land management that causes arid land. Then (here's a novel idea), try fixing our modern era screw-ups wherein we diverted too much water away from certain plots of land, wherein we built cities in and below flood plains. Let's work as a team, humankind, and fix things.
I'm not a fan of the climate change talk, especially when you consider how many different 'experts' have predicted the end of the world due to climate change with deadlines that have come and gone several times over. Now, don't get your panties in a bunch! I believe in science every bit as much as I believe in God, heaven, and hell. I believe one compliments the other -- really not hard to marry them if you are a person of faith. I do believe, science is like medicine -- the practice thereof. Considering that none of us lived during Adam and Eve's era to witness dinosaurs as part of the animals that God created AND considering that God is infinite, who's to say how long one biblical day at creation took in man's puny view of space and time? It all works together if you let it.
I believe the earth 'breathes' if you will. It has experienced ice age(s), flood(s), extinctions of global proportions. Our home planet will experience those phenomena again in it's life cycle until it dies. The earth evolves as does our sun. Our sun is a star (scientific facts in case you missed grade-school science classes) and our sun, as said star, will eventually burn out. Long before that happens (and No, I'm not predicting a date), it will create more heat and all the planets in our solar system will change in temperature. There will be no changing that, folks. The earth will heat up, water evaporate, and life as we know it will expire under the extreme conditions. Fixing a hole in ozone won't stop it. Not using plastics won't stop it. Going organic or using all chemical preservatives won't stop it. Producing oil or using solar power won't stop it. Nothing in humankind's knowledge base will stop the sun from it's life cycle as a star that will burnout/flame-out one day. It happens to other stars all the time -- our scientists who focus on the stars, the galaxies, the universe have witnessed other stars do the very same thing through their telescopes.
Our sun will die and so will planet earth, just like humans do. Some of us go quietly, some of us go out in a blaze of glory, but the physical result is the same -- the body, the living organism dies. The difference is that we are human, and if we believe in God, then we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we have souls and souls do not die. Various religions have differing views on how a human can reach heaven, nirvana, a place of peace and I'm not going down that road in this entry. I know where my faith is (in case you missed it, I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior and that when I die He will take my soul to heaven with God and those who have gone before me in faith) so I'm not in a panic over dying today or in 50 years. I will die when it is my time and not a minute before, by some means wherein my life-sustaining organs stop functioning for the physical body.
So, I bet you're wondering how did a little essay on rain morph to a discussion on the death of stars and humans?
It's simple enough, so I'll try to explain it. We're all going to die, humans, the stars, planets, none of us are immortal. Why then do we complain about the rain we have today, the snow we'll have in winter, the very things that go in a normal cycle of rotation? Why? They are beyond our control -- and human kind needs not to control everything in its domain.
Why do humans find the need to complain about most everything? Why? We're all in this together on this planet, why don't we rejoice in our existence and marvel at all that is around us, wonderfully created (by God if you believe, by happenstance if you don't). We've got a pretty good gig going on here, folks: roommates, planet-mates, the ability to reproduce, gorgeous colors of humanity, beautiful shades of animals and plants, earth that provides us gravity and a place on which to stand, water with which to nourish and travel. We are so very blessed as humans, creatures sailing along in our galaxy and what do we do? We complain. About rain. Seriously, people?
We complain about our neighbors, how we govern ourselves, what we eat, the weather, where we live, where others live, our jobs, our lack of jobs, our leaders, our followers, our friends (yes, even our friends), our clothes, our religions. In short, we complain about everything. Where does it end? When do we stop?
Now I'm no tree-hugger, but I grew up on a farm and love all that nature has to offer. I enjoy activities in our metro areas, but long for that grass under my feet rather than cement sidewalks. I always say I'm too conservative for my liberal friends and too liberal for my conservative friends. Through all that, I love humanity. When you look at yourself in the mirror, do you ever think about the fascinating DNA that causes you to be who you are, how you function, and how you form thoughts? Your neighbors have DNA too and it came from somewhere! Somehow, we're all humans and distantly related. So are animals and plants; DNA is a fascinating conglomeration of blueprints for living things.
Humans need to function as a team, putting our DNA to good use rather than just wasting it on complaints about things like rain. I firmly believe that if (not when) humans figure out how to work as team members for the betterment of all, then hopefully, maybe, just maybe, we'll savor the things we cannot change like rain, life, death, neighbors, and then..............in that good mood, if we want humanity and our living creatures not to die off, we'll find solutions, reaching for the stars that are younger with in habitable planets. We must look to each other, having faith in the good, not deterred by storms (rain or sunspots) if we want to prevent ourselves from killing off everything on this planet prematurely.
If we say we are tolerant, then we Must Be Tolerant. That doesn't mean we get to pick and choose what we tolerate. It's all or nothing. If you can't tolerate your neighbor because his/her skin color, political viewpoint, or sexual orientation differs from yours, then you can't claim be a tolerant person. It just doesn't work that way. If you don't comprehend that, then you need to spend some time reading your Merriam-Webster dictionary from high school.
If we know we cannot tolerate certain behaviors, views, then we need to work with our fellow humans to find an ethical compromise wherein we respect that we are each unique, but knowing that we do not have to become homogeneous. (I thank God every day that we are not cloned and identical!) Variety is the spice of life! If we all thought alike, performed the same job, etc. we'd either be running around naked with no food, but great houses, or we'd be eating well but with no houses....I hope you get the idea. We need to value our differences and learn to utilize them for the good of all.
No, I'm NOT promoting any political, socio-economic system in this entry today. I'm not a fan of some of those 'equal systems' because too many times some still end up more equal than others and more people end up starving than they do under a system with competition. I believe with healthy competition, hard work, human ingenuity, we, as the human collective, can still have a system wherein we feel productive both for ourselves and enjoy helping others without force.
Forcing someone to love us has never worked, why would forcing a political viewpoint work any better? It wouldn't. We need to reach across the aisle in our governments, reach out from our charitable organizations, across the fence to our neighbors, and work together. We won't save the sun, we won't save the planet, BUT, we will enjoy our lives much better than it seems we do now. Instead of pointing fingers, finding fault, and complaining about everything under the sun (including the rain), it's time that we put our heads and hearts together, lending umbrellas, raincoats, sump pumps, and opening doors.
Sure, it's still raining today, probably going to rain all night. I have a choice: complain about everything and everyone (and the weather) OR make the best of my indoor time, find projects that only can be accomplished when it's raining, and maybe, just maybe dance in the rain. Who's ready to dance with me?
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